What if?
by Gigawolf1
Summary: A story based on theories about the characters of Bleach. Review and suggest some ideas to further the plot
1. Kenpachi Zaraki, Arrancar?

What if..?

What if Kenpachi Zaraki is really an Arrancar?

No matter how many times he tried, Kenpachi Zaraki could not reach his Zanpakut­o. Ever since Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends had entered the Soul Society, intruded on Seretei, and fought against the 13 Squads, he wished for the power sealed within his Zanpakuto. Every Shinigami had one, which was the manifestation of their true power. He had defeated the previous Captain of 11th Squad and taken his place, though his deceased predecessor had achieved Bankai, the Final Release.

Despite this, he found himself defeated by Ichigo, who by that point had only reached his Shikai, or Initial Release, and had not even mastered it. Truly, it had been close, but since then he had become vastly more powerful. Beyond achieving a Bankai that granted him the speed he would need to take on Kenpachi in a rematch, he had also tapped into the more ruthless force of his Inner Hollow. Finally able to control that force, even if only for a brief period of time, would allow him to defeat any foe who had not even reached their Shikai with ease.

Nightmares plagued Kenpachi ever since the task force sent to deal with the Arrancar had returned to Seretei. He remembered his first day in Zaraki, all alone and without a name. They had all looked at him, almost mocking him. He had just stood there. After learning about Hollows, he supposed that he himself was once of them, and had forgotten everything when purified. Certainly no one around him mentioned their time as a Hollow, though that may just have been due to their lack of friendly terms in Zaraki.

He remembered the first man he attacked with his Zanpakuto. In his sleep he saw the crowded street where the man had turned his blade on him. From nowhere, some insane man had struck him with a sword that stung like hell. Clutching the wound, the then-nameless warrior felt his blood trickle through his body. He looked up to see the asshole, grinning widely. Immediately he pulled his Zanpakuto from its sheath and…

And…

He sat up, his dream broken. Kenpachi was covered with a slight sweat, surprising for him. He turned to his Zanpakuto, wondering where he had originally gotten it from. It had been there, his first day in Zaraki, but he couldn't remember anything before then. Even so, it hadn't mattered that day, against the man who had attacked him. His Zanpakuto should have hit the assailant, but it didn't. There had been a shower of blood, but the man stood unharmed after it had vanished. Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished.

Thoughts flowed into his head as though a dam had broken. No more memories, only questions that attacked his mind. The last of these silenced his mind. Amidst the chaos, he found one that brought a shiver of fear to even his unflinching heart. 'Am I like those Arrancar?' The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He enjoyed fighting like a Hollow, and he did have a fierce temperament. However, he soon realized he couldn't possibly be one. After all, no matter how close an Arrancar came to becoming a Shinigami, they still didn't have a true heart, and so long as he had Yachiru, he couldn't be an Arrancar after all.

"Heh, damned Aizen. If it wasn't for him trying all that shit, I wouldn't have to worry about it at all. Who cares how my Zanpakuto came to me? It was there when that blonde guy attacked me, and it'll be with me for the rest of my life. He didn't get a good hit on me, no matter how much blood came out. And next time I see him, he's gonna get one hundred times that much spilt outta him!"


	2. Sora Inoue, Shinigami?

What if..?

What if Sora Inoue became a Shinigami?

A knock on the door broke Kenpachi Zaraki from his thoughts. Soon after, Makizou Aramaki entered, bowing as he did. "Captain Zaraki, there's a new recruit for the squads. He's to meet with all the Captains to determine which one he'll join."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"What?" Makizou stood in surprise.

"For one thing, who said all captains had to show up?" The question was pointless; only one man would dare tell the ten most power Shinigami in Seretei what to do, and that man was Captain-Commander Yamamoto. His Initial Release was powerful enough to defeat some of the other Captains while they were using their Bankai. Makizou said as much, and Kenpachi nodded.

"For another, why are you the one to tell me this? Shouldn't you have told Yachiru, and have her tell me?" An evil glint appeared in his eyes. "Or are you not afraid of me, Makizou? Tell me, do you think we have enough time to fight before the old man gets pissed at me?"

"Yay, Ken-chan and Maki-Maki get to fight!" squealed Yachiru Kusajishi. Both men turned to the small pink-haired girl who was on the back of the huge Captain.

"When did you get here Yachiru?" questioned the large man. True, he wasn't skilled in sensing the locations of others through Reiatsu, and hadn't trained his other senses to a level that could find a silent black cat in a dark room, but Yachiru was a loud little girl who had somehow gotten into his room.

"Ken-chan, you know I like to stay in your room! Plus, I was playing hide-and-seek with this new guy I met yesterday! He still hasn't found me, so I win! Maybe we'll meet him on the way to see the new guy! Or maybe he is the new guy! Maybe we could have him in our squad! Can we, Ken-chan? He's lots of fun, even more fun than Maki-Maki!" She continued to babble on before noticing that she was out in the open of Seretei, still riding on the back of Kenpachi Zaraki. During her endless monologue, he had decided to see why one Shinigami had gotten the Captain-Commander so worked up.

Both Kenpachi and Yachiru noticed vague figures from the corners of their eyes, and in an instant a Zanpakuto was an inch from the throat of a man with a straw hat and a pink cloak. "Don't be so jumpy, Kenpachi-kun. Nanao-chan and I are just on our way to meet the Shinigami who's gotten Yama-ji so concerned." Even with a sword to his throat, 8th Squad Captain Shunsui Kyoraku maintained his cool and peaceful attitude. Despite his pacifist nature, Kenpachi had to respect the man.

Without the ability to sense Reiatsu, Kenpachi Zaraki would have taken almost an hour to find the location of even eight of the most powerful Shinigami alive. Luckily, Shunsui could feel the other captains, and the four made their way to a secluded area near the West Rukongai Gate. There, they saw the other eight Captains, and the remaining eleven Lieutenants. Ever since Sosuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tosen had betrayed Soul Society, their three Lieutenants had to act as Captains in their stead.

Momo Hinamori, 5th Squad Lieutenant, was quite possibly the hardest hit, as she had more or less loved Captain Aizen, and he had tried to kill her himself. The only true competition for the role of most affected would be her friend, Izuru Kira, 3rd Squad Lieutenant, who had played a minor role in the plot. They, along with 9th Squad Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi, had to work alone to keep their respective Squads in control while simultaneously deal with the emotional turmoil of the personal betrayal of each Captain.

However, all that Kenpachi wanted was a chance to fight one of the three traitors. Whereas almost any Captain would jump at the chance to get revenge for the betrayal, Kenpachi Zaraki was the only one who only wanted to fight them for the sheer thrill of it. Having fought Kaname Tosen and having seen Gin Ichimaru in battle once or twice, his main goal was to take a few swings at Aizen; whose Initial Release he had heard could fool all the senses. While it wouldn't be as much fun as facing a foe with incredible power, the challenge might be worth it.

'Plus,' he thought with a grin as the Captain-Commander walked towards the centre of the group with the new Shinigami, 'Those Arrancar guys are supposed to be really tough. I bet some of them would put up one hell of a fight.' His thoughts were broken as Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryusai, 1st Squad Captain, introduced the new Shinigami.

"Assembled Captains, I would like to introduce you to Sora Inoue." The young Shinigami moved forward, as a few of the Captains looked on in surprise. Kenpachi took a moment to realize what had caused them to be taken aback.

First of all, even with their power sealed, the ten Captains and their Lieutenants must have had nearly immeasurable power. To stand before all of them would be difficult, unless he was either unimaginably strong or unable to sense Reiatsu, much as Kenpachi himself was. Second of all…

"Yay, Big Boob's Big Brother!" shouted Yachiru at the top of her tiny lungs.

The Shinigami in front of them was the brother of Orihime Inoue, a human with extraordinary powers and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki. And there was no way he had been in the Soul Society long enough to gain spirit powers.

AN: I've decided to tie in the 'What if's' into a story idea I had. So, please, keep reviewing!


	3. Hollow and Zanpakuto, One Spirit?

What if..?

What if the Hollow is also the Zanpakuto?

Sora Inoue stood in front of twenty-three oddly dressed people, many of whom looked like they could kill him at any moment. Ever since he had come to the Soul Society as a result of impaling himself of Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakuto, he had seen some frightening people, but he doubted any of the people in Rukongai could stand against the ones he now faced.

Soon after arriving, he had learned he had spirit power, similar to those of a Shinigami. At least, that was what people had told him, but he didn't understand until later that they meant he had similar abilities to Ichigo. After a while, he had learned to use a simple binding spell, but then he learnt about his Zanpakuto.

He had dreamt, and in his dream he saw what appeared to be a great serpent coiled around the world. "Sora," it had said without words. He drew closer to its form, and found that it was coiled around a sphere of energy that looked nothing like the world he knew. The snake opened its mouth, and Sora saw its large fangs, ending in a point that looked finer than any blade. When it closed its mouth, the sphere was gone, and in its place was Seretei. He had only seen the walls before his dream, but now he could see everything that happened within the walls. In his dream, he saw his sister being attacked by a skeletal man. He saw the true power of a Zanpakuto when he saw Mayuri Kurotsuchi release first his Shikai and then his Bankai.

"That man threatened your dear sister, who you yourself almost hurt." Without opening its mouth, the snake had spoken again. "You could barely control yourself, but he had perfect control when he did that." The coils tightened as Uryu Ishida shot Mayuri and blew away half his body, not to mention splitting his Bankai in half.

"I can grant you the power to defeat him, and anyone else who would threaten your sister." The snake seemed to grin. "I can give you my limitless power. All you have to do is enter my mouth, and I shall become your power."

Sora stood before the snake, fully knowing that it was probably a trick. However, his sister was in serious danger, and he had to do something. He walked towards the serpent's waiting maw, but before he could enter, he saw the scene in the snake's coils change. Orihime had the power to reject fate; her power was far greater than his could ever be. His need to protect her had been what had caused him to become a Hollow in the first place, which was why she had been in danger. He could do no more to protect her; now she had to protect herself.

"No." The snake recoiled in surprise at the soul's refusal of unlimited power. "Orihime is grown up now. She can protect herself. It's no longer my job to protect her. She needs to continue moving on with her life, and she can't if I'm always watching out for her." Looking back between the coils, he grinned and said, "Plus she's got great friends that can help her out."

The snake drew back before laughing. "I was so sure you hadn't learned a thing, but here you are, talking back to a giant snake. A snake so large," it said as it turned towards the inside of its coils, "It can swallow the entirety of existence in one mouthful. And yet here you stand, speaking back to a god!" Its mouth opened, and the serpent lunged towards Sora. It sped towards him, moving faster and faster.

Then, an inch from his head, it stopped. "Very well then, Sora Inoue. If you will not take up this power to protect your sister, then you truly deserve to know my name." Of all the possibilities, Sora could not have been prepared for this one. "Listen well, for I shall tell you this only once. My name is…"

The old man, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, spoke out to the people around him. "Assembled Captains, I would like to introduce to you Sora Inoue." All the people around him began to shift, and some high-pitched voice came from the direction of a large man, screaming something about Big Boobs.

"Now, Inoue, show them your Shikai" said the old man softly. Reluctantly, he grabbed the hilt and pulled out a Zanpakuto that looked like any other.

Almost hesitantly, he spoke. "Open, Yamimodo" said Sora Inoue. Immediately, the standard form faded, and Sora Inoue's entire right hand was covered by a skeletal snake head. The Initial Release impressed none of the Captains until a sudden glint revealed that there was an impossibly small blade stemming from the snake head. Slowly, with great caution, he moved it ever so slightly, and a dark liquid fell from thin air…

AN: Please suggest ideas for chapters. Also, Yamimodo means 'Dark Window.' Can anyone guess what Sora's Zanpakuto's ability is?


	4. The Child Beyond Shinigami?

What if..?

What if there is a higher power than even the Shinigami?

As the ten Captains watched, the ground beneath the feet of Sora Inoue was covered in a dark, viscous liquid. Steam rose from the ground as the acid melted away at the earth underfoot. Kenpachi, not a thinker by nature, took a while to grasp what had happened. 'So, his blade becomes incredibly thin, and then spews acid? What a weak Zanpakuto. Even if the acid can burn a hole in the ground, he obviously doesn't have much control over it.' The fumes had reached Sora's mouth, and he had to cover his face, for the toxic venom could severely injure him if it got into his mouth, nose, or eyes.

"One of the Captains must take him into their Squads. Would any like to volunteer?" asked Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Soifon, the 2nd Squad Captain and head of the Special Forces, spoke first. "I'll take him if no one else will, but only then." "Don't be so rude about the young man, Soifon" said Jushiro Ukitake, 13th Squad Captain. Then turning to Sora, he said "While I would normally love to have you in my Squad, recent events have left our organization skills in disarray."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi walked toward the young man. "I can take him into my Squad if he wants. After all, I need to study his Zanpakuto's ability. I've never seen any quite like it before. What do you say, In…?" His skeletal face tightened as he found that his blood was mixing with venom from Yamimodo. "You attacked my sister. I'm not joining with you for anything."

Mayuri screamed a line of curses before impaling himself on his Zanpakuto, using one of his enhancements to turn into a puddle of liquid. The last thing he said before transforming himself was "Not again…" Surprisingly, Kenpachi found himself laughing at this. Though his sword was thin and he had almost no experience, he faced down a Captain as though he was nothing. 'Maybe he'd be worth fighting after all' he thought with a smirk. Too late, he realized that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had noticed the smirk.

"Captain Zaraki, would you like to have this Shinigami in your Squad? I understand several high-seated Officers in 11th Squad are familiar with the Shinigami Representative and his friends, and as this man's sister was one of those Ryoka who came with the Representative, he would likely feel quite welcome there."

As Kenpachi opened his mouth to protest, Yachiru piped up from his shoulder. "Yay! We get Big Boob's Big Brother! Big Boob's Big Brother, Big Boob's Big Brother, Big Boob's Big Brother, Big Boob's Big Brother, Big Boob's Big Brother!" "Brat" whispered Kenpachi just loud enough so that the small girl could hear. In response, she shouted "Hey, there's my friend! Can I hang out with him, Ken-chan? Yay, I'll see you and Big Boob's Big Brother back home! Bye Ken-Chan!" and ran off at an inhuman speed, all without waiting for Kenpachi to speak back.

Kenpachi sighed. "Fine, I'll take him." His face broke into a grin. "But only if he fights me, right here, right now. If he's important enough to call all of these guys out,' he said while looking at the gathered Captains, "then he better be strong enough to give me a good fight." Glaring menacingly at Sora, he intended to make the man fight even if he refused. But, to his joy, he instead walked forward. The Captain known to some as a Demon pulled his Zanpakuto from its sheath and swung it at Sora, who deflected it with his almost invisible blade. A small sting in his arm told Kenpachi that he had already been hit with the venom. To his surprise, it did not burn him from the inside, as he had expected, but instead calmed him down. He no longer felt the need to fight, or even the need to do anything.

Immediately he realized what the poison had done. While it acted as an acid on the ground, its power in the body was far more sinister. It would make him relax completely, until the point where his heart and lungs decided to take a break, effectively killing him. However, his large body would prevent the venom from working as intended, if only for a short while, after which time he would be at the complete mercy of his foe. 'This isn't the kind of fight I hoped for…' he thought.

On a nearby rooftop, Yachiru Kusajishi watched the battle between Kenpachi Zaraki and Sora Inoue. "Ken-chan will win for sure! Big Boob's Big Brother doesn't even have a sword! Isn't Ken-chan cool?" Beside her, a small boy with deep indigo hair watched with a grim face. "Which one's Ken-chan? The green guy or one of the reds?" Yachiru began to pout. "I thought I was Red!" The boy smiled and turned to her, saying "You're Red-san, but they're all just red."

"Ken-chan's the one with the cool eye patch and the sword! The other guy doesn't even have a sword, and he's fighting Ken-chan!" A sad look fell upon her face. "Poor Ken-chan won't even have a good fight." Her friend remained silent, as he still couldn't tell the difference between the two. To him, both had swords, except one was the size of a small building and had hit the green guy, while the other was incredibly dense and deeply coloured. All of a sudden, he noticed that the green one's colour had faded slightly. Pulling out his Zanpakuto and whispering its command, he continued to watch as the many reds faded ever so slightly, on a degree unnoticeable to the untrained eye, and the green deepened by a great amount.

Kenpachi hated the calming effect, but there was no way he could fight it. His anger built at his own inability. One hit and he had lost. 'Damn!' he thought. 'Some little runt took me down with one hit, when I've fought against Bankai and Captains? I'll show this runt what true power is!' His muscles tightened, his heart raced, and his sword sliced Sora's left side. In the blink of an eye, his Zanpakuto cut through the small blade of Yamimodo, and Sora fell to the ground in defeat. As Kenpachi held his Zanpakuto above the man's head, a tiny voice inside his mind told him to finish the battle, while another told him to sleep.

"Yay, Ken-chan won! I told you he would! The other guy wasn't even worth fighting though. Too bad Big Boob's Big Brother didn't get to live longer" she said sadly. Her friend blinked at her statement. "What do you mean?"

Yachiru looked at him as though he were insane. "Don't you know that Ken-chan is the strongest warrior in the entire world? If an opponent doesn't give a good fight, then the only solution is for Ken-chan to kill him!"

Her friend looked at her with curiosity. "Red-san, what's 'kill?"


	5. Kaname's Heroine, Yachiru?

What if..?

What if Yachiru Kusajishi was named after Kaname Tosen's friend who inspired him to become a Shinigami?

Yachiru looked at her friend as though he were either insane or really, really stupid. "Everyone knows what killing is. It's when you make someone not live any longer. You know, like how all of us got here?"

Her friend thought about this for a moment. "How we all got here… But there's no yelling or screaming or anything." He looked at the scene and choked. He saw the man who looked green to him, standing over his foe with his sword pointed downwards, its razor edge mere moments from the defeated Shinigami. In his shock at the sight, he released his power over Kenpachi Zaraki and the Captain finally succumbed to the poison, falling unconscious before he even reached the ground. However, Sora Inoue was not spared pain, as the huge man fell on top of him.

------------------

"You always look at me like that" said a beautiful woman to the man who sat on her balcony. He merely grunted, and she turned towards him. "Whenever I put flowers in my room you look at me as though I'm insane." He grinned at this and looked at the sky. He had met her when she had been patrolling the Zaraki district and he had gotten into a fight. She had broken it up with her Zanpakuto, which calmed both of the fighters down. After that, he had spoken to her, and found out that her name was Yachiru Toya. The day after, he had gotten into a fight with the same man and killed him. He never mentioned this to her for fear she would be disgusted, but she seemed to understand his nature.

"You're always so peaceful when I see you. I suppose my Zanpakuto's effect hasn't quite worn off yet" she said with a chuckle. She picked it up from nearby and pulled it out of its sheath. "Most Shinigami have Zanpakuto that can hurt people. But, because I'm such a peaceful person, my Zanpakuto has a completely different ability. I can use it to calm people down and let them relax." As she said this, he remembered the smell from that day. It was like nothing he had ever smelled before. The aroma had since come back to him now and again, and when it did he found himself on the same balcony.

"Let me tell you a little secret" she said quietly. The way she said it brought the man's attention. "You have a Zanpakuto, but don't know its name, right?" He snorted at this. They had spoken about this before, but she seemed not to understand. "Even if you don't want to know its name, don't you think it would be nice to know it by its name?" This struck a cord with him; for some reason she had never asked him his name. Had she done so, he doubted she would do something as heartless as asking a nameless name how he felt about names.

"Entice, Amoi Hana" she said to her Zanpakuto. The blade withdrew and the smell returned. Only the hilt remained, but from it spread several pink flower petals. He looked at the Zanpakuto and realized he had seen similar flowers in the Zaraki district that smelled similar to what he currently smelled. She then motioned him over. Reluctantly he made his way over to her, only for her to thrust her Zanpakuto into his hands.

"Wha?" was all he could say before the Zanpakuto glowed. To his surprise, it transformed to look like his own Zanpakuto. She smiled before taking it back from him. "You can't use someone else's Zanpakuto. Yours is a part of you, just as mine is a part of mine. You're so strong that your Zanpakuto fought against mine and wore it out. One of my friends wants to become a Shinigami like me, so I let him try that to let him think he's getting practice with a released Zanpakuto. However, just between you and me, his Suzumushi is really his own Zanpakuto manifesting. He can't keep it up though, since he's weaker than me."

The nameless man began to leave, his mind focused on the flowers. As he left, he missed the words she said. "Odd… Amoi Hana normally returns to her Shikai when I get her back…"

------------------

The next day, the man returned with a bouquet of the pink flowers that Yachiru's Zanpakuto resembled. He climbed up to her balcony and entered her room. She wasn't there, but there was an empty flower pot. Slowly, one by one, he placed the flowers into the pot until it was full, yet crudely arranged. Agitated, he left the room. As he went down the hall, he noticed another smell familiar to him from the Zaraki district; blood. There it was, a crimson river leading down the stairs. At the bottom was the beautiful woman he had visited many times, her Shinigami robes stained red while her Zanpakuto, which was in her hand, was completely clean.

The sight was too much for him. He, who had killed without regret, could not handle the death of Yachiru Toya. Something in him snapped, and he ran out the way he came in, thinking of nothing at all.

------------------

Kenpachi Zaraki opened his eyes gently. That dream hadn't returned to him in years. She had been the one to teach him about the Shinigami, but it wasn't until several years later that he even considered becoming one himself. He wondered briefly if the dream had anything to do with his efforts to reach his Zanpakuto, but before he could he heard a grunt. His head turned slightly to find Sora Inoue, the new Shinigami who had almost defeated him.

"You were only poisoned, but he was badly injured. Besides, you're a Captain of the Thirteen Squads, and a powerful one at that, Captain Zaraki" said a soft voice. On the other side of his bed was 4th Squad Captain Retsu Unohana. "In fact, since you're awake, I'd say the venom has left your system and you're almost ready to get back on your feet. I'll keep your newest addition here until he recovers." Her words reminded him that he had accepted the man into his squad, or rather had him forced upon his 11th Squad.

He began to sit up, sure that he was free of the venom that had entered his body. As he did, he found his motor skills returning quickly. Soon he sat up fully and began to leave his bed, each moment growing more awakened. He stood and began to leave when Isane Kotetsu, 4th Squad Lieutenant, opened the door. "Captain Unohana! Captain Zaraki! There's been an attack on the Captains!"

AN: Now, I need people to suggest ideas to help further my story. I can only come up with so many ingenious ideas on my own, you know (no matter how brilliant I am :P )


	6. Renji and Rukia, Renegade Mission?

What if..?

What if Rukia and Renji went to Hueco Mundo without permission?

The two captains rushed to the scene as quickly as possible. Behind them Lieutenant Kotetsu tried to keep up. As the 4th Squad headquarters were relatively close to the scene, they found their way to the situation swiftly. What they saw, however, left them completely speechless.

Six of the ten captains were in various positions around a courtyard in the middle of the Seretei. Soifon was slouched against a wall while Sajin Komamura knelt panting. Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku were taking turns clashing with what appeared to be two pairs of fireflies. Toshiro Hitsugaya was using his Bankai to try to fight a similar glowing light while Byakuya Kuchiki used his Senbonzakaru for no visible reason.

"What's going on?" asked Retsu Unohana. "All of a sudden these glowing things came out of nowhere and started annoying Captain Soifon. Then, when she tried to get rid of them, they cut her and threw her into a wall! Captain Komamura tried to deal with some using his Shikai but he got cut pretty badly too. The Lieutenants tried to deal with them, but…" Isane Kotetsu looked nervously at the nine wounded Lieutenants. Her main worry was her sister, who had been acting as 13th Squad Lieutenant that day (having 'accidentally' disabled her fellow 3rd Seat officer).

Retsu Unohana walked over to the wounded Shinigami. She quickly looked over the group before noticing one was absent. "Where are Lieutenants Abarai, Kusajishi, and Kurotsuchi?"

Kiyone Kotetsu spoke up. "Lieutenant Kurotsuchi left to check on Captain Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant Abarai and Rukia-chan are on a top-secret mission, and no one's seen Lieutenant Kusajishi, Captain Unohana!" Immediately all eyes were on her. Too late the girl remembered that no one was supposed to know where Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki had gone.

"He was here earlier" muttered Retsu Unohana to herself. Suddenly she realized where the two had gone, even if she did not know the method Renji had used to appear at the meeting. She turned to the battle, only to find that Kenpachi Zaraki had not entered as she expected, but rather had waited where he was. "What's wrong, Captain Zaraki? Is some part of the battle not to your liking?"

"Up there, on the rooftops. Someone's up there, and they're the one doing this to the captains. The damned fools can sense Reiatsu and I can't but they don't even notice him. I'm gonna…" His sentence was stopped short as three of the four captains still standing in the battle suddenly fell to their knees. However, Kenpachi noticed something about the battle for the first time. 'The bitch and the bastard wolf were cut? There's not a drop of blood in the entire courtyard. And now those other three have been tired out? How can one person do that to five captains without any of them noticing?"

He watched as Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakaru continued to flow in no particular direction. Then the other five lights approached him, and the 'petals' flew off to each of them. "He's probably wondering why he can't hit them, but I think I know. That guy's using a damn illusion. There's nothing to hit. In that case, I can just kill him and end this now. It's only so funny to watch even a high-and-mighty jackass like Byakuya try and fail." Kenpachi jumped onto the roof of a nearby building and ran towards the figure he had seen. Before he got more than a few feet towards him though, he felt a slight sting in his arm.

The man he had seen from a distance had gotten right beside him and had forced his had through Kenpachi's arm and into his body. "Where's the key?" asked the man beside him. For the first time Kenpachi Zaraki truly looked at his attacker. From head to toe there were no distinguishing features. There was no hair, no eyes, no nose, no ears, and no mouth. There wasn't even a hand, only an extension of the 'man'. All that he had been attacked by was a larger firefly that could speak. It was a bright indigo, and the light stung his eyes slightly. "Not worth a fight" he said with a sigh. The thought of his dream returned, and he remembered the dead body of Yachiru Toya. He missed her voice, and especially the smell.

The thing turned its 'head' to look at Byakuya Kuchiki. None of the six glowing lights were visible, as Senbonzakaru had consumed them. He held out his other 'hand' and six beams of coloured light broke from the flower petals. All the captains saw the man whose hand was imbedded within Kenpachi Zaraki as he whispered to his Zanpakuto which scattered again, this time into hundreds of thousands of small white blades. Only Kenpachi Zaraki had heard the words he spoke:

"Scatter, Senbonzakaru"

AN: I need your ideas to keep this story going. The only idea I've been given recently requires the scene to leave the Seretei and Soul Society altogether, so please give me ideas!


	7. Break! The Worldly Barrier Bypassed!

What if..?

What if high-level Shinigami can open a hole in the worlds just like Hollows and Arrancar can?

Hundreds of thousands of pure white blades floated through the air. Their size and shape resembled Senbonzakaru, the Shikai of 6th Squad Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. However, only 11th Squad Captain Kenpachi Zaraki had heard what the Indigo Man had said; his words had matched the Initial Release command used by Byakuya. 'No two Shinigami have the same release' he thought. Instantly the thought struck him.

'He's been using illusions this whole time! He told his Zanpakuto to do what Byakuya's did, and now they're going to think that they're fighting a thousand blades when there's nothing to fight. This is a battle no one can win' he thought. 'They're all going to exhaust themselves and die trying to fight something that's not even there.'

Somewhere deep inside his head, a voice spoke out. "Why the hell are you thinking like that?" it asked. "He's real enough to pierce your arm, you damned fool, so he's real enough to hit! Get him out of you before he kills you! Not like you ever listen… Oh shit, now he's getting me, too! GET RID OF HIM NOW!"

The constant yelling released something inside of Kenpachi. Deep within, his almost primal anger broke free. Any hint of the dream shattered as he snapped out of the spell which was over him, and he thrust his Zanpakuto towards the body of the Indigo Man. The blade slowed as it hit the glowing light, hindered by some kind of force. "So that's it. Your Zanpakuto's what's causing that light show. You make some blades and a shield out of your glow-in-the-dark blade, so what? I'm still going to kill you, you son of a bitch!" He let out an enraged scream as he tried to force his Zanpakuto through the barrier. However, it couldn't pierce the bright indigo glow.

"You're tough enough to fight against it? And what's a Zanpakuto?" asked the man within the glow. Kenpachi was almost stunned enough to drop his sword at this. 'Not only is he making a fool of all the Captains, but he doesn't even know what a Zanpakuto is? What am I thinking, of course he knows what a Zanpakuto is! He's just trying to mess with me some more! The bastard's playing mind games again!'

With that thought, his blade dug a little deeper into his foe's defense. He looked over at Byakuya, whose Senbonzakaru was holding its own against the imposter blades. The Indigo Man watched the battle of the blades intently, only occasionally looking at Kenpachi. Finally he sighed. "I'm bored now" he said as all the tiny blades released five bursts of coloured energy. They returned to him, and his indigo colour shifted to become a deep blue. All the blades, now a sharp red, began to join together over the courtyard. As they gathered, they began to take on the definitive shape of a pentagram, or a five-pointed star.

As the blades joined together, the star grew to the size of Kenpachi. The large man noticed for the first time that blades were coming from Byakuya himself. After a while he clutched his side, holding back what seemed to be blood. 'What the hell is this guy doing? He can't hurt anyone, he hasn't made anyone bleed, but now Byakuya can't stop?' He had to hold himself back as he realized that, rather than blood, more blades were stemming from the 6th Squad Captain.

Byakuya Kuchiki had felt like his lifeblood was rushing from a wound in his side, but none of the red blades had even come close to it. He inspected the wound and found that, rather than blood, small razor sharp blades like the ones he had been fighting were coming from his own body. As they did, he felt weaker and weaker. He tried to hold them back, as he would with any injury, but they stung his hand as they flowed free. His Senbonzakaru had all but faded as he became less focused on the battle.

"Where's the key?" The voice from the Blue Man gained the attention of all present Captains and Lieutenants. "What the hell do you mean? What key?" asked Kenpachi, still trying to dig his sword into flesh. "Quite simply, Mr. Green, I want to know where the thing that will unlock the lock is located. In other words, I want to know where the key to the door is."

Kenpachi was going to speak when a small Shinigami jumped in front of him. "I didn't know there was a key in this game! What's it for?" Yachiru Kusajishi was fully prepared to babble on incoherently, having not fought the Blue Man. "Red-san, it's not part of a game. I need it for my job."

She blinked. "A job? That's boring!" A grin covered her face. "Let's play instead!" She drew her sword and lunged towards the Blue Man, who did nothing as the blade approached his head. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to play until after my job's done." As the blade was about to touch the Blue Man, he appeared in the courtyard below the red star. Once Yachiru's Zanpakuto hit his afterimage on the rooftops, the blue form disappeared. The red star descended and his blue glow faded, reforming his Zanpakuto. The form of the indigo-haired child was revealed.

"If the key's not here," he said, "It must be there." With this, he thrust his Zanpakuto into the ground, said a few short words, and opened a hole into the darkness beneath him. It swallowed him whole and then closed shut. "Where did he go?" asked Kenpachi in a rage.

Byakuya sighed. "Karakura Town" he said with certainty.

AN: Next chapter I'll try to get into more detail about that character (the kid) and his Zanpakuto


End file.
